Week One

What is Popular Culture?

It's complicated, confusing and incomplete. The history of the term explains the confusion.

Matthew Arnold, England, 1860s

Two definitions of culture
1. How an entire society operates
2. The aesthetic elements of society - art, music, etc.

Culture divided in three stereotypes in 19th, early 20th centuries:
1. High Culture - the creations of high or elite culture are unique and difficult
2. Folk Culture - The creations of folk culture are communal and anticipated
3. Mass Culture - A hollow imitation of either of the first two

So what is popular culture?

Problematic but useful definitions:

1. Popular culture is whatever is widely popular
2. Popular culture is mass commercial culture
3. Popular culture is created by the people
4. Popular culture is class warfare, then assimilation
5. All culture is popular culture

Football, Sport and American Popular Culture

1869 - Rutgers/Princeton football game
1874 - Rules first codified
1880-1883 - Walter Camp modernizes the sport
1892 - First professional player
1913 - Yale builds the first large stadium
1920 - American Professional Football Association established
1920 - Green Bay Packers founded
1958 - Colts/Giants NFL Championship Game
1967 - Super Bowl I
1970 - NFL/AFL Merger
1970 - Monday Night Football Debuts